Truth, Lies and Gunsmoke
by HungrySano
Summary: Many years after the defeat of Knives, peace was finally achieved. However, when Vash is murdered, everything takes a turn for the worst. Rebecca Thompson searches for her answers.
1. Chapter 1: Lady Priest

Trigun

Truth, Lies, and Gunsmoke

Chapter 1: Lady Priest

The wind blows ever so slightly through the vast and almost empty desert. The double suns glare down hard, forcing a great amount of heat down upon those unfortunate enough to be traveling through this sandy and dry land. One lone figure happens to be so unfortunate. Said figure is wearing a long, gray trench coat over black slacks and a black, round collared shirt. A silver cross hangs from the person's neck and as this person walks, sand occasionally finds its way into the black dress shoes they traveled in. Black shades shield dark brown eyes from the sun's brilliant glare and an oversized cross covered with dusty brown sheets is being carried over the shoulder. Needless to say, with the way this person was dressed combined with the baggage, the heat was getting to be a bit more than bothersome.

With a sigh, the cross is dropped onto the sand with a loud 'thud', which in turn, sends a large amount of dust upward into the form of a cloud, causing its owner to cough profusely.

"Dammit!" A feminine voice cries between coughs. "Oh, well. I guess this is what I get for being so cheap. I should've bought that darn thomas!" She wipes the sweat from her brow with her left hand and reaches into her pocket with her right. She then pulls out a small band which she uses to tie her long, black hair into a ponytail.

"I think I'll take a short break," she says to herself while reaching for her canteen which hangs freely from her belt. Popping the lid open, she pauses before taking a sip. It was there again, another flash of the past. The very reason she was traveling like this in the first place. The search for him, the person she held dear who had gone mad after the death of his father.

She frowns grimly as tears begin to fall. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She wanted everything to just be like it used to be. She wanted the peaceful family life again. However, things wouldn't be the same, even if she did find him and bring him back. Their last meeting was proof of that.

_**Flashback**_

The girl in black spun around to face a man about her age with long, blonde hair and bluish gray eyes. They both had guns aimed at each other's heads, but neither was showed any signs of hesitation.

"Andy," she said, "Tell me why you're doing this. Why you are betraying your father's wish!"

"Heh." The man recognized as Andy smirked. "Poor, misguided Rebecca. Don't you see? My uncle has enlightened me to the truth. Kill the spiders to save the butterflies. My race represents the butterflies and yours…..the despicable spiders. Nothing but a waste of resources….barbaric destroyers of planets and life. Humans are nothing but a nomadic virus that deserves much more than just extermination."

Rebecca's eyes widened as she took an involuntary step back. "No. Y-you don't mean that! Knives….he's manipulating you! You can't kill all spiders to save butterflies!"

Andy's sadistic smile grew wider. "And why not, dear spider?"

"Because," Rebecca's face straightened into a serious and calm expression, "If you hunt the predators, then sooner or later, you'll become one yourself. Then, someone will want to purposely kill off your kind. Don't you see, Andy? It's nothing more than an endless cycle of death!" She was on the verge of tears at this point. "Think about who you're hurting. Me, mom, Ms. Strife, Mr. Vash, and most of all, yourself! We're the ones suffering."

Andy chuckled. "Suffering? Um, no. Speak for yourself, Rebecca. I feel nothing. Not anymore. I threw away my humanity the moment I joined the reconstructed Gung Ho Guns. I'll serve the most destructive death to the humans who killed my foolish father. Then, I'll eliminate the rest with the power my uncle has given me. The power that made Vash the Stampede a legend!"

Rebecca sneered as she pulled the hammer back on her pistol. "Andy, please. For the love of God, don't make me shoot you."

Andy grins maliciously. "God? No, Rebecca. There is only one god present at this moment. That god is me! The god of death! The final judge of all humanity!"

Rebecca's face showed nothing but fear as the hand holding the gun at Andy's head shook tremendously. She swallowed hard as her teeth grit, desperately search for any courage, but finds none. Her heart pounded rapidly as he knees shake slightly.

Andy took delight in seeing Rebecca's reaction. He enjoyed every second of it, seeing such a strong willed person reduced to a frightened little girl. "Rebecca Thompson, you are quite a piece of work. You came all the way here, prepared to fight. Yet you haven't the courage to stand up to me completely. Is it because I am the offspring of Vash the Stampede? No, that couldn't be."

His expression softened as he gently places his hand on the side of her face, causing Rebecca to shift and shudder uncomfortably. Her entire body went stiff.

Andy's smile remained as he narrows his eyes and pulled her body close to his, their faces nearly touching. "Or is it because you know that it wouldn't take much for me to dispose of you? Possibly."

Rebecca grunts as she pushed Andy away and serves him a well placed slap in the face. "Don't you ever put your hands on me!" Her face turn red with anger, but her eyes are misty and dropping tears down her face.

"But I think the _real_ reason is," he continued with a frown, rubbing the red mark on his face, "because I know everything about you. Your fears, your likes, your dislikes….even your worst nightmares. I won't kill you. Not at all. I'll let you off with a warning. Stay out of my way, or I'll show you the meaning of living hell."

With those harsh words said, he simply turned on his heels and walked away toward a nearby town, pulling a large silver revolver from its holster. He was too far away for her to see exactly how he was doing it, but Rebecca witnessed his right arm transforming and somehow melding with the revolver. His arm swole up and turned green, forming into some kind of cannon. Once it formed, she could see a ball of light charging up at the nose of the strange looking weapon.

She ran toward him, holding out her hand, screaming for him to stop, but it all fell upon ignorant ears. This wasn't the Andy she grew up with. This person before her was nothing but a monster.

Andy shouted out before firing, "This, Rebecca, is what will happen if you make any attempts to stop me!"

"Andy, please! I'll do anything, just don't use that…!"

A loud, booming explosion followed as everything turned to white. The last thing Rebecca saw is Andy's back before she fell back. It was either the shock of witnessing the horror, or maybe the impact of the weapon that got to her. No matter why the reason, she passed out then and there.

Moments later, Rebecca found herself lying in the sand on her back, staring at the clear blue sky. She sat up quickly, preparing herself to face Andy again, but then she realized that she was alone once more. Everything seemed pretty much normal until she turned her head in the direction of the town. All she saw was an oversized crater with smoke rising upward from the bottom portion of it. The entire town had been swallowed from the sonic burst of Andy's weapon.

She gasped as she says to herself in horror. "Angel Arm."

_**End Flashback**_

"Andy…" she says sadly with a sigh. She doesn't notice the sound of a motor coming from just ahead.

A voice calls from ahead, "Hey, Missy!"

No response.

"Uh, Miss?"

Silence.

"Stick 'em up, girlie! This is a hold up!"

Rebecca's head snaps into his direction instantly as her eyes glare poison tipped daggers.

There sits a man in a jeep with olive green overalls and a white t-shirt beneath. He's wearing a dusty black cap and had bushy eyebrows and a beard that was just as bushy. His hair is black with random streaks of gray. He smiles nervously. "Now, don't get all riled up, Missy. I was just tryin' to capture your attention. Jus' wanted to know if you needed some help there."

Rebecca blinks for a couple seconds and then smiles. "Oh, that's all right. I don't have much money, so I kindly decline."

The man raises a brow. "I ain't askin' for anything in return. Consider it a favor."

Rebecca asks, "And what will I have to do in return?"

The man sighs irritably. "Are ya _always_ this skeptical?"

Rebecca's polite reply was, "Skepticism is all a part of the code of the lone traveler. If one doesn't have that, then one doesn't have a chance."

"Um, yeah, so do ya want a ride into town or not?" The middle aged man asks sourly.

"Sure." Rebecca gathers her things and loads them into the back of the jeep quickly. She then hops into the front passenger side and smiles cheerfully. "You are a true life saver. You have my thanks. For your kindness, you get…."

The man raises his brow again as a miniature church is placed over his head.

"….a free confessional!" Rebecca cheers.

The man sighs. "Miss, that would normally be a good idea, but I kinda need to _see_ in order to drive. Ya mind taking this tiny tabernacle offa my head?"

Rebecca sighs to herself and complies. "Well, I tried. It's good for the soul to confess your sins, just so you know. By the way, in which direction are you headed?"

"Goin' to New Augusta to see my brother's new house and help him get situated in it." He smiles. "He's been doing really well, from what I've read in his letters. Says he owes it all to a geeky blonde in red."

Rebecca raises an eyebrow. "Really? Say, what is your cousin's name?"

"Frank." says the man as he starts the jeep and pulls off. "You know 'im?"

Rebecca shakes her head. "No sir. I was just curious, that's all."

"Oops! Forgive my rudeness, Miss. My name's George. George Marlon. Pleasure to meet ya. Who might you be?" he asks.

"My name is Rebecca Thompson. I'm a priest from the east spreading love and peace!" Rebecca grins with the 'love and peace' symbol raised high. After getting a strange stare she lowers her hand and sinks a bit into her seat. "Oh, sorry."

George shrugs. "Well, anyway, what's with that big ol' cross? It looks like a pretty heavy piece o' work."

Rebecca groans. "Man, you have NO idea. That thing weighs a TON. Sometimes it's bothersome to lug around all the time, but I suppose it doesn't help to complain."

"Well, it's good to vent about the things that bother you. It calms yer spirit and lets ya move on with a little more ease. Well, whatcha got in there that's making it so heavy for ya anyway?" he inquires.

Rebecca responds darkly, "Twin .45 caliber pistols, a machine gun that fires fifty bullets a second and a fully armed rocket launcher for long range and large targets."

George slams on the breaks and stares at her with wide eyes.

She smiles and shakes a finger at him playfully. "Just kidding!"

George sighs with relief and says before pulling off again. "Yer one weird girl, ya know that?"

Rebecca shrugs. "You're not the first to think that."

George smirks, "How surprisin'." His words oozed with sarcasm. "But ya never answered my question. Why _is_ that thing so heavy?"

Rebecca responds, "Because, my friend," she smiles warmly, "It's full of mercy."

Milly's face frowns up worriedly as she looks at her best friend. It had been years since Meryl had says anything, or done anything. She shut herself away from reality after 'the incident'. She was now a blank, mute shell of her former self. Her husband and son were both gone forever. Vash died protecting his family and her son had been manipulated by Knives and turned into a monster like his uncle.

Seeing her like this would always make Milly come to tears. It was even now that her own daughter had left to find Meryl's wayward son. She could remember the day she left like it was yesterday. No matter how many days passed, that single day was always fresh in her mind.

_**Flashback**_

"No!" Milly cried sternly. "I won't allow you to do this. He may have been a part of our family, but he's too dangerous now! Do you know what he could do to you if you rub him the wrong way?"

Rebecca sighed. "Mom, I know. But, you know as well as I do that this can't go on. Someone has to do something!"

"Then I'll go. This is too much for you, Rebecca." Milly shook her head, forcing the tears back. "I won't risk losing you like your father. I don't want to experience that ever again."

"Mom," said Rebecca, "You told me once that if you believe hard enough, anything's possible. I need you to believe in me now. I'll save Andy and bring him back, just the way he used to be. Meanwhile, I'm counting on you to help Miss Strife. You, as her best friend, are the only one who can. Just like I, as Andy's best friend, am the only one who can rescue him from the darkness."

Milly tried to think of what to say to stop her, but came up with nothing but pure understanding. She nodded. "I believe in you." She then goes to the far end of the room to retrieve a keepsake from Rebecca's late father and gave it to her. "And so does he."

_**End Flashback**_

At the moment, Meryl still slept peacefully. It was almost like nothing had happened at all. However, the peace is interrupted as Meryl awakens with a loud scream of terror. Her eyes are completely wide as she looks around the room desperately, shouting incoherently. She knows that Andy is safe and sound in the house, she just knows it. Frantically getting out of her bed, despite Milly's protests, she pushes past her best friend and heads immediately to her son's room to find it is empty. She gasps in terror at this discovery and begins to search the entire house with Milly behind her, trying to keep up.

After finding no signs of her son, Meryl finally drops to her knees, buries her face in her hands and cries her aching heart out. She didn't want to face the reality that both her husband and son were gone. All she ever wanted was a family of her own and now it's nothing more than just a sweet memory. Milly kneels down before Meryl and gently embraces her.

"It'll be okay, Meryl," says the taller woman, "It'll be okay." Milly herself had a bit of a difficult time believing that herself, but she still believed. She had made a promise long ago that she would believe until the very end. She tightens her embrace around her friend and begins to cry with her.

Meanwhile, inside of a crashed SEEDS spaceship out in the desert, Knives chuckles as Andy stands before him. "I'm very proud of you, nephew. Soon, Eden will be created, thanks to your contributions."

Andy nods. "Yes. I'll make sure that there will be no pest problems in Eden, by exterminating all of the spiders now. Especially the persistently insolent ones."

"Are you referring to Rebecca Thompson?" Knives inquires.

Andy flashes a sinister grin. "Indeed. She's a strong girl, which in turn makes her very determined. If she isn't finished off early, she could prove to be a problem."

Knives smirks. "So you're saying that you're willing to kill your childhood friend?"

Andy responds, "No. I'm saying that I'm going to kill another _spider_."

Knives flashes a sinister grin of his own.

Arriving in May City, more particularly at George's brother's house, George turns to Rebecca and says, "Not that I need to tell ya, but mind yer manners and don't mention anything about alcohol. It brings back some back memories for 'im."

Rebcca nods solemnly. "Understood."

George nods back as he steps out of the jeep. The house he approaches has a fresh look to it, as if it was just built. It was a large two story house with a massive front porch. George could almost smell the fresh white paint and lumber as he walks onto the porch.

Rebecca follows behind him and whispers into his ear as he knocks on the door, "Remember, I owe you that favor!"

"Not now!" George whispers back sharply.

The door swings open slowly, revealing an aged Frank Marlon with the most quizzical look on his face. "That you, George?" He points at his brother head. "And why are ya wearing that tiny little church on your head?"

A growl is heard from inside the little church before George pulls the thing off and spins around with narrowed eyes. "I SAID NOT NOW!"

"Eeeep!" Rebecca cowers back and says meekly, "Sorry!"

"Hey, who's your little friend there?" Frank asks, pointing at Rebecca. "And why is she dressed like a priest?"

Rebecca smiled politely while thinking to herself, _"Could he be the same Frank Marlon that Mr. Vash spoke of? Why does he keep asking two questions at a time? Wait a minute, now I'M doing it!"_

Just then, she notices both men looking at her, as if waiting for her to say something. Rebecca takes quick notice and bows politely. "My name is Rebecca Thompson and I'm known as the Priest from the East who brings love and peace!"

"Um, yeah," Frank replies. "Anyway, c'mon in. No one else is here yet. My wife and son are looking for my troublesome grandson. He's been hangin' with a pretty bad crowd lately. I hope they bring him outta that before he gets himself into deep trouble. That damn Sand Slayer Gang is nothin' but trouble!"

At that moment, Rebecca's eyes narrow. She hangs her head down and thinks to herself, _"The word 'trouble' doesn't even **begin** to describe the Sand Slayers. If they're up to their same tricks again, it'll most likely be another hostage situation."_

"Hey!" George shouts while nudging Rebecca's side.

"Oh! Um, yes?" Rebecca's innocent smile returns.

George sighs, "When yer in someone else's house, it ain't polite to go spacin' out every five minutes! Pay attention!"

Rebecca chuckles nervously. "I'm sorry about that. By the way, can I ask you something, Mr. Marlon?"

"Yes?" Inquire both men simultaneously.

Rebecca sweat dropped. "Oh, yeah. I forgot you two were brothers. Er, Mr. Frank. Do you know exactly where in town their hangout spot Sand Slayers is?"

Franks nods. "Yeah. I was actually thinking of goin' there myself. I wanna make sure my family is safe. I won't let the same thing happen twice."

Rebecca smiles her cutest smile. "May I accompany you?"

George frowns. "Hey, are you implyin' that we'll need a priest? That's bad luck, dammit! Besides, if it turns ugly, you'll be in danger. A girl like you shouldn't be anywhere near something like that!"

Rebecca pats George's shoulder. "You sure do worry a lot. You're almost as bad as my mom! I'll be fine. I believe that having a priest like me present will help defuse any situations that arise. Also, it's not guaranteed that anything bad will actually happen."

Frank sighs. "Well, c'mon, then. Not like we have a choice. A girl like you would find a way to show up anyway. Might as well go with the flow."

"Gentlemen," Rebecca says. "I am in your debt."

George growls as he sees her going for her portable confessional. "Get that tiny church away from me, lady."

"But it's free." Rebecca whines. "It usually costs fifty sea cents."

The trio leaves the house and gets into the jeep. The Marlon brothers sit in the front as Rebecca takes the back, along with her luggage. The jeep then pulls off headed for the hangout place of the Sand Slayers Gang.

Preview

Rebecca: The bond of family. A bond that holds, even in death. We strive to keep those we love close to us as long as we can, but sometimes, our loving words alone cannot reach them. We must act. Our actions are what proves our words true or false. The ones we love depend on our actions.

Next Chapter: "Family"


	2. Chapter 2: Family

Trigun

Truth, Lies and Gunsmoke

Chapter 2: Family

The Uptown Saloon of May City used to be the best place to go for a decent meal and a good drink. Despite how anyone felt when they walked in, they would always leave the establishment with satisfaction, at the least. However, now it is the best place to go for a dance with death. The Sand Slayer Gang had stormed the place one day and claimed it as theirs. They chased away all of the regular patrons and forced the poor saloon workers into a harsh servitude. Ever since then, they were never allowed to leave. Their families had been worried sick, but there was nothing they could do. Not even the sheriff himself dared to enforce the law against the gang. Some rumors said that he was even on their payroll.

The gang is currently hanging about their forcefully claimed saloon with a new person. Said person is a mere sixteen years old. He is a bit on the skinny side, but his tough guy act is solid, telling by the constant 'game face' he would always wear around them. His hair is short and light brown with bangs hanging over his broad forehead. His eyes are of an aqua blue, which at the moment has a sharp and cold look to them. He sits at a dusty and cracked wooden table near the rear of the trashy saloon. A female servant stands nearby with a despaired expression on her face. The boy ignores her as he continues to space out into deep thought.

A burly and bald man with a long beard and filthy overalls with no shirt steps over to the table where the boy is sitting. With a cocky smirk, he casually slaps the female servant's behind, getting a mortified cry from her in return and sits down with the young man. He grins as he nudges the boy's shoulder. "Ya know, these women will do anything we tell 'em to, kid. If you wanna know a bit more about the female body, here's your chance!"

The woman's body stiffens and trembles as the man's words. Tears begin to well up in her eyes as she looks at the boy pleadingly. However, he doesn't even bother to look her way. The burly man turns her way and grins maliciously. She shudders and turns away, her tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Not interested." says the boy. He turns toward the burly man with the same cold, yet calm look he has been wearing from the very start. The woman's face shows a little relief as the boy says, "Besides, I'd rather be doing a bank run with the others. Tell me, why is it that I have to stay here?"

"'Cause," says the larger fellow, "you said you wanted to get back at yer family for ignoring you, right? Well, the boss is gonna stage a fake hostage situation and make them pay a big ransom for ya. Then we'll split all the money equally."

The boy nods and finally smiles. "Sounds like a plan to me."

The bearded giant grins. "Yeah, don't it? This calls for a celebration!" He stands up and grabs the by standing waitress by the wrist. "C'mon, girlie! Time for a victory party, haha!" She screams as he drags her into the supply room located in the back of the saloon as the boy turns away, ignoring her plight. He looks toward the door, pretending that his large comrade's sexually abusive behavior didn't bother him. He shut his eyes tightly as the woman's screams echo through the saloon along with the sounds of slaps landing and the burly fellow demanding her cooperation during her violation. However, at that very moment, James Marlon once again feels as if he has lost just a little bit more of himself.

As the Marlon brothers and Rebecca drive through May City to find the saloon of the Sand Slayers, multiple gunshots ring through the air. The sounds of gunfire are soon followed by gleeful shouts and fearful screams. It just so happens that they are driving by a bank that was being robbed.

"Pull over." Frank commands while reaching behind his back. He pulls out a six shooter and quickly loads it as the jeep came to a complete stop. He then hops out of the car, runs out into the open, and points his gun at the three assailants escaping the bank with bags of money. With accuracy and speed, he fires three warning shots that hit the ground in front of their feet, causing them to stop in their tracks.

"I suggest that," Frank says sternly, "you put that money back where you found it. I'm not in a good mood right now and your heads are looking more like bull's-eyes to me by the second."

Rebecca watches from the jeep with stars in her wide eyes. "Wow! I wish I could think of cool things to say like that!"

George shakes his head. "You really are a weird girl."

The three robbers smirk as they drop the stolen money bags to the ground. Frank raises a brow quizzically at their reaction right before they each whip out an Uzi in each hand. Frank curses under his breath as one of the robbers says, "Time for you to die, old fool. Ya should've just stayed in your rocking chair today, gramps!"

Rebecca's eyes narrowed as she reached for her cross, "God, I'm gonna need another miracle!"

Everything seems to go in slow motion for the young priest. She holds her breath as she lifts the cross up and says a silent prayer before throwing it forward. George screams for his brother to run, but it is too late. The Uzis go off simultaneously. The sounds of gunfire fill the air as Frank shuts his eyes, awaiting the inevitable. George turns away in despair as his one and only brother is shot at by a gang of bloodthirsty degenerates.

Rebecca stands in front of the jeep, panting with a satisfied smile on her face. She looks up toward the sky with a wink. "Thanks for the help. I'll pay you back soon!" She then looks toward the scene where her massive cross is standing straight up, between Frank and the trio of robbers.

Frank slowly turns toward the smiling girl with a shocked look on his face and thinks to himself, _"This thing is obviously made of pure steel and iron. How in the world could she have thrown it that far? What kind of priest girl IS she anyway?"_

George shakes his head in disbelief. "What the..? Girl, who ARE you anyway?"

Rebecca smiles. "You have a short memory, don'cha, Mr. Marlon? I told you, I'm the priest from the East, who brings love and peace. Please excuse me." She gives him a wink before hurrying over to her cross and Frank, who is standing behind it, as the puzzled gang members freeze in place, watching the young woman.

She stands in front of her cross and leans against it casually and sighs while looking over at the three robbers with a chastising expression. "Fellas, won't you please stop this and return the money you stole? It belongs to the people of this town. Besides, I'm sure there's plenty of honest work you can do around here to earn some money. Earning money holds much more of a moral reward than stealing it."

They pause and then look at each other vacantly, before falling into a laughing fit. Rebecca pouts angrily before shouting, "HEY! What the heck is so funny? Thou shall not steal! That's one of the Ten Commandments, you know! If you don't follow that, you'll be punished!"

One of the thugs chuckle. "So, God's gonna march right down here and spank us? Yeah, right, lady! Hahahahaha!"

Rebecca smirks. "You are mistaken. I never said _God_ was going to punish you." She unsnapped one of the straps that bonded the sheets to her cross. It causes a domino effect as one by one, strap after strap whips free all around the covered cross until the dusty brown sheet is so loose that it falls onto the ground, revealing the Punisher Cross in its full, and justice serving glory. "Since you refuse to be convinced by words, I will have to teach you a difficult lesson. And that lesson is: bad boys get 'spanked'."

"Mr. Frank, I'll take it from here. Please find some cover." Rebecca says, keeping her eyes on her three opponents.

"You sure you can handle these guys alone?" Frank asks with a bit of skepticism.

Rebecca smiles with a nod. "I'll be fine. I may not seem like it, but I'm still a priest and I have God's protection. Also, I'm not a bad shot, either!"

"Die, you bitch!" One of the robbers shout as he fires off his Uzis at the priest girl. She turns and jumps behind her cross, along with Frank.

She sighs. "Geez, what a bothersome fight. I hate it when they shoot so recklessly. Guess I'll have to come up with a strategy." She shrugs.

Frank raised a brow. "I can't see how you can take a life or death situation so lightly. What kind of priest ARE you?"

Rebecca's response was cut short as two of the robbers ran to each side of the hiding duo, ready to blow them both away. "Holy shit!" Frank cries.

Rebecca then kicks the cross, causing two compartments on each side to open and fire off a couple rounds, when in turn, shot the weapons from each of their hands. They scream in agony as their hands are also shot in the process. She smiles at Frank, "What's so holy about a turd?"

Frank frowns. "Bad joke!"

"You damned wench! Yer gonna **_DIE!_**" The final robber cries while shooting his guns wildly at them. He laughs gleefully until he realizes he's out of ammunition. He then pauses and throws down his weapons in frustration before grabbing to bags of money and making a run for it.

Another gunshot rings out and hits the fleeing robber in the shoulder, causing him to drop one bag of money. He soon drops the other to hold his hand over his shoulder wound. Rebecca turns slowly toward Frank to see that his six shooter's barrel was smoking.

"Wow! Nice shot, Mr. Frank!" Rebecca exclaims.

Frank nods. "It was nothing. Anyway, let's get this money back to the bank." Just then, Frank's ear is pulled. "Ow! Who in the…? Maria! Um, Hi, honey!"

There stands an older woman, about Frank's age with an angry and stern look. She tugs his ear once more and shouts, "Don't you 'Hi, honey' ME, mister! I saw what happened! Are you crazy? I thought we agreed that you wouldn't get involved in any more dangerous situations!"

"Well, I guess that's my cue, hehe.." Rebecca begins to sneak away, but Frank's wife was much sharper than she looked.

"And where you think YOU'RE going, young lady? You encouraged him!" Maria shouts hotly.

Rebecca smiles politely and says, "Well, actually, it was the other way around..."

"And I won't even ASK why you're dressed as a priest!" Maria continues, ignoring Rebecca's defense.

"But," Rebecca says, "I'm a priest…"

Maria huffs. "Do I LOOK stupid to you? What kind of priest carries a weapon like that? You're probably just some murderous gunslinger! How many deaths is on your conscience, girl? I wouldn't be surprised if it was someone like you who has our little Jimmy!"

Rebecca turns toward her cross and quietly wraps the sheets around it once more. The look on her face is emotionless and unreadable as she finishes securing the straps around the cross. With a serious tone, she turns to Maria. "Listen, I may be a priest, but I'm human as well. I bleed, I hurt, and I die like anyone else. I would appreciate it if you kept your ill thoughts of me to yourself, miss. I can understand you're upset, but please do not take that out on me." After speaking her mind, she turns away and leaves without another word, leaving the Marlons only watching in astonishment.

After twenty minutes of walking, Rebecca, reviews her past actions. _"Aw, man. I really lost my temper back there. Then again, she did falsely misjudge me after I saved her husband's life. A little gratitude would've been nice. I should just buy the rest of my supplies and leave. I've got to find him before he kills anyone else." _Rebecca's stomach begins to speak its own mind as she walks by a saloon. She stops and takes a long look at it. The wood is broken and chipping off the building, the sign is aged and the swinging doors look as if a nation of termites had a block party on them.

"It's a bit shabby looking, but at this point, I'll eat anything!" Rebecca smiles as she walks in to see a trashy looking place with only three customers. A burly man with a large beard, a teenager and a familiar looking thug.

The thug points at Rebecca. "YOU!"

Rebecca sighs, disliking her luck, "Oh, crud." Before she did anything, the large man attacks quickly, ties her hand behind her back, and then carries her to the back of the saloon, separating her from her cross. He roughly sits her down in front of the bar and grins at her suggestively while menacingly standing over her. Rebecca looks back up at him with a dopey, yet nervous grin. "Uh...hello there, large sir. Would you like a free confessional? On the house!"

"Dressed like a priest, huh? I wonder how big you are under that shirt." He muses as her pulls out a large hunting knife. She gulps because she already knows that he means to make confetti out of her clothes.

She shouts out desperately, "If you do it, you'll be punished! I'm a real priest you know!"

The man chuckles at her exclamation. "I don't think so. I'm gonna take my time with you. He smirks excitedly as he uses his knife to cut the top three buttons from her shirt, exposing her cleavage. He grins with approval. "For a priest girl, you sure do have a nice set. Think I'll try 'em out." Drool became visible at the side of his mouth.

Her expression becomes a bit more timid as she shouts, "H-hey! Stop looking at me like that! Don't you understand that I'm a priest! What you're thinking is a sin! A sin, I tell you! If you do this, then you'll be cursed! Don't you read the bible? Repent, you horn dog, REPENT!"

He ignores her and proceeds to do just the opposite of what she commands. He gently strokes her cheeks with his rough hand, as if mocking her. She suddenly has a flashback of when Andy mocked her the same way and reacts in a manner unlike herself Rebecca growls and then spits in his face. "You're nothing but scum!" She then pauses, surprised at herself for doing such a thing.

"Heh. Fiesty, aren't we?" He smirks as he slowly licks some of Rebecca's saliva from his face. "Mmm, sweet." He grins lustfully.

Rebecca's face immediately sours in pure disgust. "Yuck! Th-that's GROSS!"

The workers turned slaves watch with horror in their eyes as Rebecca struggles to keep the burly thug away from her. The apparent leader smirks while nursing the bullet wound in his shoulder. "Do what you want with that bitch," he says, "I owe her little friend for this wound anyway. As for you, kid, "he points at the quiet teen who is still silently sitting in the back corner, "get ready for the plan. We'll milk those folks of yours outta everything they've got. We'll all be rich and you'll have your revenge."

At this moment, the two other robbers stroll into the saloon looking sore. Their attitudes are grumpy until they see who is tied up with her full cleavage showing. They grin as they both rush toward her like a pack of starving wolves.

"Whoo-hoo!" One exclaims. "She got some nice ones for a weird little priest chick! Makes we wanna drink some milk! Just looking at her like this makes me excited."

"Ugh!" Rebecca groans. "What is this, a pervert convention?"

"James!" shouts a voice from the door way.

The young teen looks up from the table where he's sitting to see his grandfather glaring at him. He then looks away. The leader of the gang who Frank shot earlier grinned. "Good of you to come, old man. We were getting tired of waitin' for ya. Now, here's the dealy-o. You give us fifty thousand double dollars or we give you a reason to buy a pine box." He shows his seriousness by aiming a handgun at James' head.

Frank sneers. "I don't have that kind of money, but I'll give you everything I have. Just please let my grandson go."

James stands up from his chair and shouts, "Shut up, gramps! Stop acting like you care! You never cared about me! You just ignore me and pretended that I'm wasn't there!"

Frank sighs. "Maybe if you would stop acting so spoiled and stop hanging around this scum, I wouldn't! I know what this is about. You're still upset about me not giving you that gun, aren't you?"

James growls, "So what? I could have used it to protect my older sister! She'd be alive if-"

"...if she had chosen another lifestyle! Your sister loved a dangerous man, Jim! She willingly followed him, knowing the danger. If I gave you that gun, I'd have TWO dead grandchildren instead of one!" Frank pauses to let the words sink in.

Rebecca watches the gang members carefully. _"With the way they're positioned, I may have a chance. Only one of them is armed and he's aiming at James. He doesn't seem like he's going to shoot him, but I'll try my best to be careful anyway. If I can take down the leader and the big guy, I'm sure Mr. Frank can get the drop on the other two."_

She narrows her eyes before stretching her legs forward and wrapping then around the burly man's legs.

"What the…?" The burly man says as Rebecca rolls her body over, throwing his balance off and causing him to topple over into and through a wooden table. She quickly unwraps her legs from his fallen form and rolls behind the bar as the leader turns toward her and opens fire. Behind the bar, two of the waitresses are hiding as well.

Rebecca smiles sheepishly. "Um, could I bother you gals for a sec to untie me, please?"

They both nod and quickly comply.

Meanwhile Frank takes down the two others easily with two quick shots from his six shooter. One in the shoulder, the other in the leg. They both hit the floor, groaning in pain as he notices Rebecca in quite a pickle. He quickly aims for the man's arm and pulls the trigger to only hear a clicking noise. He pulls the trigger again to get the same. He then slides the cylinder out to see that he was indeed out of bullets. The rest of his ammo sat idly in the jeep. He curses as he tries to rush forward and get the leader by surprise. As he closed in, the gunman quickly spins around and shoots Frank in the shoulder with a triumphant smirk.

"Payback's a bitch, ain't it, old man?" he chuckles as the burly man stands up and hands him and extra gun. He cocks the hammer back as Rebecca stands up from behind the bar only to have another gun aimed at her by the Sand Slayers' leader. "As for you, priest lady, I'm gonna do you a favor and send you on a little trip to meet the God you idolize so much. I don't even care about the cash anymore. I'm gonna kill you AND this old geezer! Which should die first? James, I'll let you decide."

James' eyes widen as he looks at the leader with disbelief. "But you said that we were just gonna get the money and that's it! You never said anything about killing anyone! All I wanted was to get back at my family for ignoring me!"

The leader smirks. "The hell are you taking' about, kid? I said WE would split the money. I never said we would split it with YOU. You're lucky we even let you live this long."

Rebecca gasps upon hearing this. She looks at James's faces as it frowns up in horrifying shock. She lowers her head slowly, making her eyes with her bangs. Her body slightly trembles as the conversation continues.

"You're pathetic kid," says the leader in a casual manner, "you live the good life for so long that you went through all this 'cause you couldn't have one thing your way. Kids like you are so easy to trick. I should thank you, though. You lead me right to your family fortune. I'll use your gramps as an example by killing him, and then I'll get the rest of your family to pay the ransom. Once I have the money, I'll end YOUR sorry life, too!"

James breaks down in tears soon after. "You said that you would take care of me now on! You said we were a family! I trusted you, no, I believed in you with all my heart! You're liars! All of you! You're nothing but TRASH!"

The leader hits the crying boy across the face with the barrel of his gun, causing him to fall to the floor. "Who are you talkin' to like that? Just for that, I'll let you taste a little pain before I kill these two."

"That's enough!" Rebecca's voice booms through the room, capturing everyone's attention. She is now standing in from of the bar by James, her head still hangs down, hiding her eyes away from all. "James, I don't understand your view entirely, but it seems that it's nothing more than a misjudgment on your part. Also, Mr. Frank, I think that it would have been better if you explained yourself a bit more to James so he could understand you fully. Her head slowly lifted to reveal a soft and pleasant expression. "It was all just a problem with communication and nothing more. I'm sure if you get together and work on it, things like this won't ever happen again." She turns toward James. "Don't you think?"

James nods sheepishly with a little blush on his face. "Y-yes ma'am."

Frank also agrees. "Yeah, I guess you've got a point there."

"Gramps, I'm sorry about everything!" James cries. "I can understand if you hate me for all this."

"Don't be stupid, boy," Frank says with a smile of assurance, "No matter what, we'll always be family. Even if we argue or get mad at each other, nothing can change that. I can stop carin' or worryin' about you."

James falls back into his chair and sobs, "I'm so stupid! I almost threw away the only family that I have for something false. I'm such an idiot! I.."

"Shh…" Rebecca places her hand on top of his head. "You don't have to cry anymore, James. Your grandfather loves you and so does the rest of your family. You're just a kid and are still learning how the world works. You'll be fine. You'll see."

"Screw this sentimental crap!" the leader shouts as he aims both guns at Rebecca. "Die, bitch!"

"Miss, watch out!" James cries as Rebecca pushes him back.

"I won't let you die." Rebecca whispers to him as the gunshots ring out. She closes her eyes. "God, I ask you for one more miracle. Please don't let me die before I can protect these people!"

A loud crashing sound is heard along with the gunshots as Rebecca stand tall, willing to give her life for the boy. She feels nothing, but she heard the guns go off. Daring to crack her eye open, she sees the leader on the floor with a broken table lying on top of him as he groaned in pain. Rebecca once again looks upward.

"Thanks, again!"

"You're welcome," says Frank from across the room. He's breathing heavily while holding the lower part of his back with a smirk on his face. "It ain't exactly a heavy steel cross, but whatever works, right? Ow. I think I threw my back out on that one." He winces a bit before smiling again.

Rebecca smiles and pats James' shoulder. "You see, James? Your grandpa really does care for you. During this whole situation, he never hesitated to act, even though it could have cost him his life. You are truly precious to him."

James sobs. "Gramps…..gramps!" He ran to his grandfather with his arms wide open. He practically jumps into Frank's arms and sobs, screaming out apologies.

"Easy there, Jim," says Frank with a small chuckle, "I may be a tough old man, but I'm _still_ and old man, you know." He looks up at Rebecca and smiles to himself. _"She's a strange gal and a bit on the geeky side. But she's brave and does what right…kinda like that blonde guy. The one who change my life."_

Rebecca smiles back warmly. _"So, this is the Frank Marlon that Mr. Vash mentioned. He's a pretty tough guy. Protecting those he cares about, even at the risk of death. He's truly admirable." _She then turned toward the once enslaved workers. "Don't worry. It's safe now. You all can go home, you're all free!" She grins grandly.

"Wait a second! This ain't over yet, girlie! Nobody's going anywhere!" The burly man shouts as he points a gun at Rebecca's back. He grins. "It'd be a waste to fill you with holes before I have the chance to make you my little pet, but I don't mind fondlin' a corpse, either!"

"Leave her alone, you bastard!" James shouts as he stomps on the man's toe causing him to howl in pain and drop his gun. Rebecca spins around with her fist reeled back and launches it like a surface-to-air missile. The last thing the burly man sees before total darkness is Rebecca's flying fist slamming into his face. The blow is enough to send him crashing on top of his fallen leader.

Frank stares in astonishment. Sure, is normal to see a woman occasionally defend herself and maybe punch a guy out, but the fact that this girl is able to floor guy twice her size was just plain ridiculous. What made it stranger was that she was a real priest. If he didn't see it for himself, he would have never believed it. "Nice punch, girl. Don't tell me that priests these days are taught how to fight and shoot."

Rebecca shrugged. "We can't afford to be helpless. Besides, that bad man had it coming. You should never try to violate a servant of God. Or anyone for that matter." She looks over the fallen pervert and then turns her nose up at him. "May you walk with God, my wayward friends. Well, when you wake up." She then turns to the waitresses who were in captivity for so long. "You gals are free to go. I know that you have probably faced unbelievable hardships. However, please do not despair. There is always hope! Why, you ask? Because, even if times are hard, even if the chips are down, even if you feel like giving up...this world is made of...LOVE AND PEACE! C'mon, say it with me! Love and peace! Love and peace!"

Soon, the waitresses start to chant along with Rebecca. After a few more chants, everyone, minus the gang members and Frank are chanting the famous slogan.

Frank watches the entire scene with a warm smile. _"The blonde in red. That silly, geeky guy who changed me. It's strange, but it's like I can feel his presence...within this girl. I've got no clue what these waitresses went through in here, but this girl stormed in and gave them something that no one else did. She gave them hope. Happiness, even. Just like he did with me. The nameless man in red who blew into town one day and gave everyone the courage to move on. Could she be...?"_

"Grandpa?" James tapped his grandfather's shoulder. "Hey, are you okay? You look like you're thinking about something."

Frank smiles and nods. "Yeah. I was just thinking about an old friend, that's all."

Rebecca grins as she pops up between the two. "Hey, don't go slacking off on me, guys! One more time! LOVE AND PEACE!"

"Hey," Franks says, "I need to ask you something about a certain blonde man with spiked hair in a red coat."

Rebecca pauses for a second. "Uh, yeah. What about him?"

Franks smiles. "The next time you see him, tell him I said thanks. And let him know that he's welcome to come and see me anytime."

Rebecca's eyes start filling with tears as she looks away.

"What's the matter? Did I says something wrong?" Frank asks with concern.

Rebecca turns back toward him with a smile, but the tears are still unrelenting. "No, sir. There's nothing wrong with what you said. It's just...it's just that...I get emotional during beautiful moments like this. It makes me happy to see people full of hope and joy. It's beautiful thing. That's all."

_"I couldn't tell him the truth. I wish I could, but...I'm sure Mr. Vash would want it this way. Mr. Frank is so happy right now.."_

Frank chuckles. "You know, you're and all right gal. Hey, why don't we all get outta here and go get some lunch at a decent place? My treat."

His only reply is loud cheering from the waitresses.

Later that day, on the porch of Frank Marlon's house, Rebecca and James sit on the steps. They both stare up at the sky for a little while before James breaks the silence. "Ms. Rebecca, can I ask you something?"

The lady priest turns toward him and nods with a smile. "Sure. What's on your mind?"

James sighs as he shamefully looks downward. "Well, after everything that has happened I feel ashamed. I know gramps forgives me, but I'm having trouble forgiving myself. What I did almost got all of us killed. I feel like the lowest scum of the earth."

Rebecca smiles. "I can understand why you feel that way. However, you're punishing yourself needlessly. The fact that you feel bad about what you did proves that you're not a bad person. Everyone realizes this but you. Your heart is heavy because you haven't let everything out yet." She then pulls out the portable confessional and places over James' head. "I'll give you a confessional, free of charge."

James nods and accepts. "Okay. Here goes. My sister, Marsha, fell in love with a bad guy. She followed him no matter what he did. One day they had a gang war and she was attacked one day while walking to the food market. Before that, I was asking gramps to give me a gun for protection, but he never did. I guess I was so frustrated about it all, I just threw all the blame on him without thinking. But now, I realize how much of an idiot I was being."

It was as sad story to hear, but Rebecca understood that he needed to tell someone. After hearing his confession, she removes the tiny church and asks, "Do you feel better now?"

James smiles a little bit. "Yeah, I kinda do. I really did want to tell someone everything, but I never thought I could. I still kinda feel a bit bad."

Rebecca stands up and chuckles. "Maybe you should just tell your grandfather the same story. That should clear your conscience."

James smirks. "You're probably just saying that 'cause you're a priest."

Rebecca shakes her head. "Not at all." She steps off of the staircase, her cross and confessional in tow. She turns her head toward James with a warm smile. "I'm saying it because a friend could use some good advice. Now, take care of your family for me, will you? Show everyone how strong you are."

James asks, "You're going so soon?"

Rebecca nods, "Yes, I am. My job is done here. Besides, Mr. Marlon has a good hearted grandson to help protect the family."

James then asks, "You'll come back to visit, won't you?"

Rebecca laughs. "Sure, I don't see why not. You have my word that this won't be our last encounter. Take care, James." She then walks off, whistling the tune of "The Messiah".

James smiles as she walks away toward the setting sun. "Thank you, Ms. Rebecca!"

Just then, Frank steps outside and stands next to James, watching Rebecca leave. He shouts, "Hey, priest girl!"

Rebecca turns around with a quizzical expression. "Yes?"

Frank grins and holds up his crossed index and middle fingers and nods.

Rebecca smiles cheerfully as she returns the gesture. _"Mr. Frank, you're a good man. I wish you the very best." _She waves one more time before turning back and walking toward the town exit.

James thinks to himself._ "It's a promise. We'll definitely meet again someday. When we do, I promise to repay you."_

Preview

Rebecca: Sometimes, a storm comes when you least expect it. The strongest storms come at the worst of times. The times you can't afford to be wet, the times of pain. The water weighs down the body as one tries to wearily make it to the next destination. The only salvation is that no one can see the falling tears. God, please help me. I can't make it alone.

Next Chapter: "Total Slaughter"


	3. Chapter 3: Total Slaughter

Trigun

Truth, Lies, and Gunsmoke

_Total slaughter…_

He stalks into town as the last bit of the sun sinks down into the horizon. The moon shines down upon the small, prospering town giving the building a tranquil glow. Decked in black robes and a large, round rimmed hat, he steps toward the nearest bar. It's noisy, but he doesn't mind at all.

_Total slaughter…_

He enters quietly. No one, besides those who are just as quiet notice the man come in. His clothing masks most of his appearance, except for his eyes. Strangely enough, they are violet with black rings around the iris, like onyx halos. He sits down at the bar.

_I won't leave a single man alive…_

"So, what'll you have, stranger?" The bartender asks with enough cheer to mask his fright and feelings of certain doom.

_La dee da dee die, genocide…_

The man in black gives no reply, as he refuses to acknowledge the bartender for a few seconds more. Slowly, he turns toward the older man with a deadly look in his eyes. The bartender feels the cold and icy aura omitting from the man in black. The robe he wears covers his nose and mouth, but despite his voice sounding a bit muffled, his voice is loud and clear. "Gimme a scotch on the rocks."

_La dee da dee duh, an ocean of blood…_

The bartender nods. "Yes, right away, sir." He immediately prepares the drink, but the man quickly grabs the bartender's shoulder.

"Hold up. I've got another order." The man smirks as the bartender turns around to see the end of a large black handgun pointed in his direction. "A splattered melon."

The sound of a gunshot follows along with a dull thud and the panicked screaming of the other patrons. The man in black grins sadistically as he spins around, in his stool, and pulls out a matching gun from under his cloak. "None of you are making it home tonight!" He chuckles maniacally as he takes aim.

_Let's begin the killing time._

**Chapter 3: Total Slaughter**

"No! Stop! Wait! Don't! HEY!" Rebecca cries as she hauls her cross and confessional along while chasing down a bus that is pulling off without her. "Please, wait! I have money for the fare!" The bus comes to a screeching halt, but unfortunately for poor Rebecca, she is running too hard for her to stop so quickly. With all of her things in tow, she ends up running into the back of the bus and falling to the ground with a heavy 'crash'. The bus driver steps off to check on the girl to find a girl with swirls for eyes lying in a daze beneath a large cross, with a tiny church clutched in her hand.

"Hey, are you okay? Hey, lady!" The bus driver proceeds to shake the dazed woman.

It takes ten minutes, but Rebecca is finally awake and on the bus. Her confessional still in hand and her cross still tied to the top of the bus. For some reason, the bus doesn't have many passengers today. After noticing this fact briefly, she slowly drifts off to sleep.

"_Ack!" Rebecca's eyes snap open to see that she is laying on a rocky surface. She sits up and looks down, checking herself for any injured or oddities. She finds none. When she looked straight ahead, she saw a familiar tall blonde with spiked hair. He smiles as he motions Rebecca to stand beside him, at the edge of a cliff. She complies and asks him something, but the words are all but absent. Her voice, along with everything around her is muted. She desperately looks to the tall blonde for guidance. His response is nothing else but pointing below, where a town sat, a strangely familiar looking town. _

_Vash hands down a pair of binoculars to her and points once more. She nods with comprehension and looks through them. She sees her house. Milly and Meryl sit on the porch, smiling happily, along with Andy. However, Andy's smile turns into a slight smile, then a straight face. The blank look then turns into a grimace, then a hard scowl. And finally, the hard scowl turns into a grin of absolute evil. He unleashes the long, silver six-shooter that his father once owned and points it at the two women._

_Tears stream down Rebecca's eyes as two gunshots ring through the air just as clearly as they would if they were right beside her. Despite the painful loss, she can't seem to take her eyes off of the sickening scene. Andy isn't done, however. He instantly transforms his gun into the Angel Arm and wastes no time in firing. Rebecca cries even harder as she helplessly watches the destructive dome of light swallow her town whole. She can literally see the building and people as they are disintegrated into nothing. The screams and cries are loud and clear as if they we in her head. She involuntarily drops the binoculars and falls to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Her vomiting onto the ground before her quickly follows this. _

_As the smoke clears, nothing remains but a crater with a single figure standing in the dead center. Vash hands her the binoculars once more. She looks up at him to see the seriousness and sorrow in his eyes. He nods slightly to her. She reluctantly takes the binoculars again and looks through them, toward the crater. She sees Andy standing there with his back turned. His body is trembling. She thought that maybe he is crying out of realization of what he had just done. However, what she heard destroyed the theory, along with her already heavy heart._

"…_hehe…heh…hahaha….HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He arches his back, spreading his arms wide. His laughter echoes in Rebecca's ears. With each passing moment, her tears fall faster. He then slowly turns his head, facing Rebecca. Her eyes widen at the sight of his face. That wasn't the face of Andy Strife. That was the face of…_

"_Knives." Rebecca spat bitterly, not paying attention to the fact that she could hear her own voice again. Just then, she feels a hand touch her shoulder gently. She looks behind her to see Vash still standing there with the same look in his eyes. He spoke, but his words sounded garbled._

"_a…em…aw." Vash says._

_Rebecca slowly stands up, her eyes meeting his. "I can't understand you…"_

"_ay…em…awl." Vash says a bit more coherently._

_Rebecca shouts pleadingly, "Please, Mr. Vash! I can't understand you!"_

"_S…ave…em…all. Save them all, Rebecca. Save them all." Vash finishes with a warm smile. "We're all counting on you."_

_Rebecca's eye filled with tears. "I need more help! Please, tell me what I need to do! You have to tell me."_

"_But, you already know…love and peace." Vash nods._

_Rebecca cries, "Wh-what does that mean?"_

"_Love and peace," Vash repeats. "Love and peace!" Vash grins and hold out the symbol with his two fingers crossed._

Rebecca gasps as she sits up again. She's still on the bus and everything looks normal. She takes a look around to see no one acting out of the ordinary. In fact she's the only one away, save the bus driver. "That dream again. How bothersome." She huffs and scowls lightly in an annoyed fashion as she stares out the bus window.

The rides lasts for another twenty minutes before they arrive in October City. It's a large city with plenty for visitors to do. Currently there is a festival running which is introducing new technology known as Amusement Rides. Rebecca takes her time reading the posted fliers at the bus station. Perhaps this was just what she needed to wind down a bit. Perhaps a little fun would clear her mind and help bring it to focus. Just as she further considered participating in the festivities, her stomach let out a deep groan.

Her face drops as her hunger pangs throw a temporary monkey wrench into her plans.

"Well, I'd better go find a restaurant. I could eat at the festival, but a hearty meal would be better for a girl's health. Besides, my stomach isn't gonna feed itself." She reaches into her pocket, fishing out a couple double dollars. She frowns grimly. "Yikes. And neither is my wallet."

Arriving at the nearest restaurant, she finds a "Help Wanted" sign hanging in the front. With a smile, she takes it and strolls inside. Insides, she finds it is empty save a few of the elderly and a shady looking person in the back.

"Hi!" A bubbly young girl greets the lady priest brightly. "Would you like to try today's special?"

Rebecca held up the sign with a cheerful smile. "Sure, I'll try it, but I'd like to work here for a while, as well."

"Well," says the cheerful girl, "you'll have to talk to papa. He's right over there!" She points to a middle aged man with short, raven black hair, and slicked back. He is a bit tall and has no facial hair. He is also a bit bulky in a muscular way. He is taking orders from customers and has a very friendly smile on his face while doing so. The girl waves to her father. "Papa! This lady wants to work here with us!"

The man turns his head and acknowledges her. "I see. I'll be over in a jiffy!" He finishes taking orders and walks over to them hurriedly. He looks to his daughter, then to Rebecca. "Why are you dressed like a priest, young lady?"

"I _am_ a priest," came Rebecca's cheerful reply.

"Why would a priest want to work in a restaurant?" The man's tone was filled with skepticism.

"Well, I'm a broke traveling priest." Rebecca retorts with a sweat drop and a sheepish smile.

The man then asks, "Well, can you cook?"

Rebecca replies, "Uh, well, I can boil water...not very well, but I can! Hee…."

The man raises a brow. "Okay, no kitchen for you. Well, can you at least take orders and bring out the food without spilling on the floor?"

Rebecca nods. "Yes, I am proud to say that I am quite coordinated! You can count on me, sir! Rebecca Thompson always serves her customers!" She sits her cross down and stands on top of a chair and salutes. "No one shall leave without a smile! In a world as gloomy as this one, I will shine the beacon of happiness, filling the hearts and stomachs of these hungry patrons!"

The man stares blankly as his daughter is still smiling sweetly. He sighs, "All right, already, you get the job, just get down from there."

Rebecca hops down and smiles. Her smile then turns into a serious face as she salutes again. "Thank you, SIR! Private Thompson, reporting for duty, SIR! I await your orders, SIR!"

He sighs again. "First off, the name's Davis. Eric Davis. Just call me by my name." He pats his daughter on the head with a smile. "This little ray of sunshine is Kayla."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both, SIR!" Rebecca cries.

Kayla giggles. "She's funny, papa! It's okay if she stays for a while, isn't it?"

He nods. "Yeah, but I still think she's a little on the weird side." He turns back to Rebecca. "You can start by cleaning off the empty tables. The rags are in the back."

"Sir, yes, SIR!" Rebecca turns toward the back room and marches forward. "Left, left, left, right, left! Left, left, left, right, left…."

"That's the strangest priest I've _ever_ seen." The man says to himself.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, all is empty and quiet. People have locked themselves into their own homes after the disturbance at a near by saloon. At the Smith residence, the family tries to cope with the loss of a loved one who was unfortunate enough to be involved in the tragic events.

"Dammit!" A young man with long blonde hair cries as he slams his fists onto the table, scaring his little sister who sat beside him. "That bastard….that bastard killed my father! He did it just for kicks! My father died for no fucking reason! I'll kill him…I'll kill that bastard with my own hands!"

"Kyle, no!" A middle aged woman with short, brown hair cries, "I won't lose you to some maniac! Your father was enough. Please, don't do anything to get yourself killed."

Kyle's brown eyes narrow. "I'm not gonna get killed, ma. Because I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch first!"

"Big brother, you're scaring me…" The little girl's eyes fill with fright as she looks into her brother's eyes. It was like looking into the eyes of a stone cold killer. It seemed like Kyle changed personalities as soon as he had found out about the murder of his father.

"When I'm done, Mary, you won't have any reason to be afraid anymore. That guy will die by my hands. He'll pay for dad's death with his own!" Kyle shouts.

"Kyle, stop it!" His mother spits. "You're being a fool! If that manic can kill a room full of people, what do you think he can do to you alone? There's nothing you can do but leave it to the sheriff!"

"I'm going." Kyle says finally as he walks out the door, leaving behind his sobbing family.

A man in black stands within a clock tower, but soon, he isn't alone as a woman with a long, black coat appeared before him. She had long, blonde hair and violet eyes. She looked at the man with annoyance. "Don't you know the meaning of restraint? Thanks to your little fiasco, the whole town is looking for you."

The man in black chuckles. "Yeah, so? It's not like I can't take care of them all myself anyways. Whoever wants to try to stop me are more than welcome to try. I'll kill them before they take their last breath."

The woman shakes her head. "That didn't even make sense."

"So? It still sounded cool." He smirks.

The blonde groans and slaps her forehead. "Idiot. Look, we came here to look for someone. If you kill a mass amount of people, that causes panic. Causing panic forces said person to go _further _into hiding, which makes a job ten times more troublesome. Do you understand?"

The mass murder nods. "Yeah, I understand that you worry too much. We'll find the guy."

"It's a woman, FYI." She retorts irately. "Anyway, I suppose your stupid slaughter may do us some good. There's a second target that's been bothering the boss for a while. She's always meddling whenever people are in danger. If she's anywhere nearby, that should flush her out in the open."

"So, who's our primary target?" The man asks.

"A spell casting witch who specializes in the elements. Her real name is unknown, but the sheriff's organization has given her the name 'Disastra'. We are to bring her in as a potential Gung Ho Gun before the feds find her." The blonde sighs. "Unfortunately, she stays very low key, so causing a ruckus would most likely scare her off. I don't think the boss will be very pleased to hear that you blew our primary mission, Larken."

"Missie, you're annoying," Larken says with a sigh. "You're always preaching about the boss' orders and crap. If you'd loosen up a little, maybe you'd be able to relax for once. At least _try_ to enjoy yourself."

Missie groans with annoyance. "How childish. I'm going to take a look around. Try not to kill anyone. At least not until _after_ you get some information first." With that, she simply walks away.

"You're kinda cute when you're angry, Missie." Larken smirks once again.

"Go to hell, Larken." Missie replies hotly without bothering to shoot a glare back at him.

Meanwhile, Rebecca is working hard, cleaning the tables of the restaurant. She wipes the tables down quickly, all while singing a song that she made up.

"Bus, bus, bus, bus the tables! Wipe, wipe, wipe, wipe them down! Turn your frown upside down cuz I'm…uh….I'm the new bus girl in town! And my mother's hair is brown!" Rebecca continues to sing the horribly pointless song while working. If she had any singing talent at all, it may have been considered cute. However, that isn't the case, and her reward is multiple requests and some desperate pleas, to stop at once. One 'request' stands out more than the others.

"For cryin' out loud, shut the hell up, already!" A woman cries from the table behind Rebecca.

Rebecca turns around with a quizzical expression. "Hmm?"

The woman frowns. "Don't give me that dumbfounded look! I came here to eat in peace and the last thing I need is some bumbling tone-deaf moron, dressed like a priest, ruining my meal!" She has long red hair that is wrapped into a French braid. Her eyes are violet and she has on a strapless black dress. She looks as if she could have been some sort of celebrity. Her lipstick matches her hair and Rebecca also notices her black gloves that also cover her forearms.

Rebecca smiles cheerfully. "I'm so sorry, miss. May I take your order?"

The woman sighs with a sour expression. "Yeah. A bowl of silence to go. I'm outta here, I've lost my appetite."

"Wait, please don't go! I apologize for disturbing you. If you leave because of me, I'll lose my job!" Rebecca pleads.

The woman rubs her chin. "Hmm, I don't know if I should really stay."

Rebecca tugs on her arm and pleads with puppy dog eyes, "C'mon, be a pal! If you make me lose my job, I'll hate you! And when I die, I'll haunt you forever! And then I'll haunt your children...and your children's children....and.."

The woman sighs. "Fine, fine, I'll stay. Quit pulling my arm, already!" She rested her chin on her hand with a bored expression. "So, what's your story, anyways? You dress like some badass priest and act like a ten year old. Are you hiding something or are you just some kind of nutcase?"

"Well…" Rebecca's expression becomes serious. "If you must know, then I'll tell you. I'm…." She grins widely, "I'm a very cheerful person!"

The woman sighs. "Nutcase it is, then." From the corner of her eye, she sees a familiar blonde woman walking by. Her expression turns grim as the blonde woman smirks and continues walking. However, she stops for a second and walks into the restaurant. The redhead stands up, coldly regarding the blonde who approaches the table casually.

"Disastra," says the blonde with a menacing glint in her eyes, "have you given any thought to our master's offer?"

Disastra sneers. She them mutters to herself, "God, I hate that name." She then speaks out loud, "I thought that my message was clear enough. I'm not joining you, I'm not going anywhere with you and you can all go to hell, for all I care. There. Anything else you need cleared up?"

"Um, your order…." Rebecca says softly.

The blond woman chuckles lightly. "I see. Well, I hope you know that things won't be easy on you from here on in. If you're not with us, it means you're against us. Keeping you alive at this point would be quite careless of us, wouldn't it?"

"Perhaps," Disastra smirks, "but getting on my bad side wouldn't just be careless." She holds her palm up as a spark of flame shoots into the air from it and vanishes into smoke. "It would be…. _incredibly_ fucking stupid."

Rebecca's eyes light up in awe. "Wow! You can make fire come out of your hand! You're so cool! Can you teach me that sometime? Please?"

"Shut up, bus girl! And get back before you get hurt!" Disastra commands.

Just at that moment, a man in black storms into the restaurant with a handgun in each hand. "Found ya! Give it up, witch!"

Missie sighs. "A little late for that, Larken."

Larken squints his eyes at Rebecca. "Hold on a sec. Ain't that the priest girl the boss wants us to bring in?"

Missie rolls her eyes. "Fool, she carries an over sized cross, like Chapel used to have."

"Ya mean, that?" Larken asks as he points to a humongous cross in the corner of the restaurant.

Missie clears her throat to mask her embarrassment. "Well, two birds with one stone. The boss said to bring them in alive, but he didn't say anything about unharmed, now did he?"

"Hold it right there!" A young man runs inside with a six-shooter, pointing it at Larken. "You! You're the one who killed all those people last night! My father was one of them and now I'll have my revenge!"

Rebecca cries, "No, don't! Put your gun down! That man isn't…!"

Larken smirks as he spins around at almost light speed and shoots at the boy four times with a jet-black .45 caliber pistol. The young man doesn't have the chance to even think of pulling the trigger. As soon as he drops, people begin panicking and quickly evacuating as quickly as they can. Larken smirks evilly as he watches the fearful folks run for their lives. It amuses him to no end.

"Bang. You're dead," says Larken with a sadistic smile.

The teen puts his hand over his chest as his eyes widen. There are no wounds and he feels no pain at all. A mysterious blue light fades from his sight as Larken simply watches with disbelief. Rebecca takes this opportunity to jump over the table that she and Disastra were standing around and runs to the young man's side.

"You've gotta get outta here! This is going to get ugly." Rebecca cries.

Larken points his gun at Rebecca and sneers. "Shit! That kid may have gotten lucky, but I never miss twice! Both of you die!" He opens fire, but the same blue light prevents his bullets from hitting her.

Rebecca's eyes widen as she looks up and says, "Thank God!"

Disastra smirks as her hands glow with a similar blue light. "As much as I appreciate being called that, just call me Fran, 'kay?"

Rebecca then smiles and nods. "Hehe, right." She looks over at the teen. "Hey, don't dawdle. It isn't safe here!"

The patrons had already evacuated along with the owner and his daughter who waited outside. Kayla looks up at her father and asks, "Daddy, Ms. Rebecca is still in there. Shouldn't we go and get her?"

Her father replies, "There's nothing _we_ can do, honey. However, as the owner of this place, _I'll_ have to solve this problem. Stay here, Kayla." He pats his precious little girl on his head, and then turns toward the restaurant with a solid glare. Rolling up his sleeves and removing his chef's knife from the waistband of his apron, he proceeds inside as the evacuated costumer murmurs about how insane he is. "I'm not gonna let our dream be destroyed. I hope you're watching, Christina."

Meanwhile, back inside, the boy shouts, "No! I'm not going anywhere! I'll take revenge for my father's death! I'll kill that bastard!"

Fran sighs. "Look, boy! You've got no skill with that gun and I'm NOT wasting all my magic on protection spells for you! Wise up and leave!"

Rebecca replies, "Fran, that wasn't very kind of you."

Fran shouts, "And who asked YOU? This _is_ a life threatening situation, you know!"

Larken grins. "Damn straight." Without warning he jumps at the boy and kicks the boy in the jaw, literally making him fly into a mass of tables and chairs. He then looks back at Rebecca and Fran. "I think I'll kill you two first."

Fran narrows her eyes at Larken . "I summon thy power, o beast of flame…" As she chants the room temperature seems to rapidly rise as her body takes an orange glow. "Fire Ball!" She thrusts her open palms forward and out shoots a ball of flames from between them. The fiery orb slams into Larken with enough force to send him off of his feet with his body engulfed in flames.

Rebecca gasps and quickly pulls her apron off. Without any words, she runs by Fran and runs to the bucket and mop located in the kitchen. Luckily, there is still water in it from when she mopped. The water is dirty, but she takes no time considering that before running back out and dumped it all onto Larken. She then quickly kneels down by his side, to see if he is still alive. She sighs with relief when she notices he is still breathing. "It's a miracle," she says contentedly.

Just then Eric Davis storms in, wielding his chef's knife. "Hold it! Whoever wants to try and trash my restaurant had better be ready to face the consequences!" His eyes are wide with rage as everyone's attention automatically goes to the angry chef at the door.

Fran sighs. "Just hold on a sec, pops. I'll take care of the other one for ya."

"NO!" Rebecca stands up and glared furiously at Fran. "You will do NO MORE. You could have taken this man's life today with your fire! If you try to kill anyone else, I'll stop you myself!" She shoots and icy glare at Missie. "That goes for you, as well."

Eric shakes his head. "This is just too much. I'm takin' over. You girls go get the sheriff. I'll hold these two until you come back."

Rebecca pipes up. "But, Mr. Davis-!"

Eric shouts, "Go or I'll dock your pay!"

Rebecca heads toward the door. "Yes, sir!"

Fran yawns. "How boring. Well, I think you should at least know whom you're detaining. These two are complete sociopaths that despise humanity. Give them the chance and they'll kill you in a second."

Missie smirks. "Funny you should mention that. Had you noticed, you'd see that I obviously have the upper hand." She tightened her grip around Kayla's throat.

Eric's eyes widen. "But, when did you-?!"

Missie smirks. "I have power over your minds, which gives me the ability to make you see anything I wish. I simply used my powers to distract you while I nabbed the girl." Her smirk graduates to a fully, devious smile. "Larken, you can stop playing dead now."

Right on cue, Larken springs back up as if nothing happened to him to begin with. "Har, har. I've been shot, stabbed, dipped in acid, crushed by a building and now I've been set on fire!" He grins maniacally and screams at the top of his lungs, "Just 'cuz none of that can kill me doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt like a son of a bitch!"

Fran's eyes widen with fear and disbelief. "N-no..way."

Larken leaps at her with a wide grin and a reeled back fist. "WAY!" He throws a punch that is loud enough for the people outside to hear, instantly knocking the spell caster out cold. He then turns to Davis with an evil grin.

"Get outta the way, old man," Larken says menacingly.

"Daddy," Kayla manages to say with Missie's hand on her throat.

Rebecca sneers. "Cowards. Let the girl go, she has nothing to do with this!"

Missie smirks. "Just a little insurance. Now, Rebecca Thompson. You will do exactly as we say or the girl dies. Kill Disastra."

Rebecca looks at the unconscious Fran and shakes her head. "Nope, can't do it."

Kayla cries, "Please, Miss Rebecca. You have to. To save us all, you have to kill that woman!"

Davis raises an eyebrow then frowns before rolling across the floor, picking up a chair and hurling it toward Missie and Kayla. Missie can't dodge in time and is hit in her side. The moment she is hit, Kayla vanishes into thin air.

Davis smirks. "Ha! You messed up pretty bad, lady. My little girl would NEVER condone killing, no mater the circumstance!"

Larken grins as he leaps at Davis, pointing his twin pistols. "But I'm completely different! Die, old man!"

"Mr. Davis, get down!" Rebecca cries out as she jumps in between them with her cross in tow.

She hits the ground, baseball slides in front of Davis and swings her cross at Larken, sending the durable psycho out through the swinging double doors. To Larken's dismay, he ends up landing on the back of a Thomas that becomes startled enough by his landing to run away, carrying Larken along with it.

Missie stands up, holding her side in agony. Someone taps her shoulder from behind. Missie turns around to a violent fate as Fran's fist collides unmercifully with her face, knocking her to the floor. Missie is still conscious, but too dizzy to stand. She tries to, despite that, only to clumsily stumble about before falling over again.

Fran mutters words that Kayla is way too young to hear as she gives Missie a good kick in the ribs before walking away.

The sheriff and his officers arrive only minutes later to apprehend Missie. Even though Larken is still at large, Rebecca is satisfied that no one else had to die. She was thankful for that much.

Meanwhile, Fran goes over to help the teenager whom Larken knocked out. She kneels over him and places her hands over his chest. A warm, green glow engulfs her hands eventually causing the boy's eyes to slowly open. He opens his eyes to see the most beautiful thing that a sixteen-year-old boy could ever see.

"Um.." Fran's eyes narrowed. "You can stop staring at my cleavage now."

The boy shakes off his stupor and grins bashfully. "Sorry!"

"Anyway," says Fran, "Everything is fine now. The healing spell took care of most of your wounds, but be sure to see a doctor, just in case."

He nods. "Yes ma'am!"

Meanwhile, Rebecca talks to her employer.

"Rebecca, I don't know how to thank you. You saved my family and our dream. Words cannot convey the amount of gratitude I have," says Eric Davis.

Rebecca smiles and pats his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, sir. As a servant of God, this is all in a day's work. Besides, I had to repay you for giving me this job. Being a waitress is kinda neat!"

Davis smiles and shakes his head. "You're a really weird girl, ya know that?"

Rebecca replies, "So, I've been told!"

Davis starts fishing through his pockets. "Oh, before I forget, here's your pay." He pulls out a wad of double dollars and places it into her hand.

Rebecca looks at it and says, "But, sir, this is almost two weeks worth of pay. I haven't even finished the first day yet."

Davis replies, "I know, but I figured a traveling lady priest would need the money."

Rebecca asks, "So…I'm fired?"

Davis nods. "Basically."

Suddenly Fran marches over to Rebecca. "Hey, you!"

Rebecca turns around with her trademark smile. "Yesh?"

Fran bellows, "Don't you try that cutsie stuff with me! You almost got me killed back there, you four-eyed freak! What's WITH you? Do you always help people that are trying to kill you? You've got a serious screw loose, ya know that?!"

Rebecca's smile remains. "But, I am against killing. There's always a way to resolve these issues without having to resort to such meaninglessly barbaric measures. After all, this world is made of love and peace!"

Fran growls while poking Rebecca's chest. "NO, this world is made of violence, hatred and heavy gunfire. Where the hell do you think we ARE, anyway?! Listen to me, you little cross-carrying hippie! This planet is a hell on earth and if you're not careful, you WILL end up dead. There IS no God in this world! It's just a fairytale! No one is watching over us humans except for ourselves! The sooner you realize that, the better! Dammit, and now you've got me angry! I need a damn drink!" With that, she stomps off, leaving the restaurant.

Rebecca looks back to Davis. "Where'd _that_ come from?"

He shrugs. "Who knows? Anyway, I think I should close shop for today. Do you mind helping clean up one last time?"

Rebecca rolls up her sleeves. "Let's get it ON!"

Davis chuckles. "All right, weirdo, let's get started."

By nightfall, Fran finds herself bar hopping once more. With each saloon she becomes more intoxicated. As she becomes more intoxicated, more men approach her. Not that she minds, but she isn't about to talk to just any random guy off the street, no matter how drunk she gets. She has had many nights like this one. Her childhood and the terribly lonely past that followed would attack her. Her only means of defense seemed to be at the bottom of a liquor bottle and in the warmth of a handsome stranger who had a night to spare. It was temporary, but at least for a moment she could pretend to be loved.

As she stumbles further into the less gentle side of town, her torturous memories seem to find her through all of her intoxication. The visions are scattered and blurry, yet crystal clear.

She remembers how her parents were brutally murdered for nothing and how she spent most of her life running away from people wanting to use her powers as if she were nothing more than a tool.

Then she remembers when she was captured and locked up in a laboratory for three years and experimented on like some kind of animal. Then, the thought that the only people whoever cared about her died when she was a child. This world had taken so much from her and it seemed like things would never get easier.

Her drunkenness and tears blur her vision so much that she is no longer aware of where she is walking. She eventually falls over. However, she doesn't even try to pick herself up again. Her vision goes completely black as she barely makes out someone yelling.

Her eyes open to the sight of a ceiling. The lights are off and she notices that she is in a very comfortable bed with a warm blanket. She looks around the room to see a pair of glasses on the table next to the bed. She then notices a big, familiar looking cross in the corner of the room. She slowly looks around after figuring out to whom she owes a favor.

There, on the floor next to the bed was Rebecca, in her pajamas, sleeping on a thin sheet, no blanket or pillow. She was smiling peacefully. Fran was completely perplexed. Shouldn't she seem uncomfortable? After all she said to her, she still takes her in? Why?

"Mmm, pudding…" Rebecca manages to mumble in her sleep.

Fran sits up in bed as tears flow from her eyes. "Crazy little girl. Naïve and clueless, kind and innocent. I'm sorry, but I can't stay." She stands up to leave but she feels a hand grab her ankle.

She looks down to see Rebecca still sound asleep, but her grip is like that of a muscular man's. Fran struggles to loosen the lady priest's grip, but to no avail.

"Andy." Rebecca mutters. Fran watches a single tear fall from Rebecca eye after saying that name.

Fran thinks for a second and decides to try an idea. "Look, free pudding!"

"Mmm, pudding…" Rebecca releases her grip and turns back over.

Fran smirks at her victory and silently leaves to find some temporary fulfillment at one of the local saloons.

"Sorry, priest girl. I'm grateful, but I'm the last person you'd want to get involved with..." Fran leaves, still feeling more than a little drunk, but sober enough to walk on her own.

It takes her about 10 minutes to stumble back into the bar. She takes a seat at one of the stools, next to a muscular man with short, brown hair. The man is dressed in a fancy tan suit, which indicated that he is either some kind of entrepreneur or a politician. Either way, he seems independently wealthy and is well groomed, which is a plus by Fran's standard. He isn't exactly handsome, but not exactly hideous. Just a fancy dresser with a plain face.

Fran takes a few more minutes to observe her surrounding to scout out a more worthy man for her overnight company, but finds nothing but a mass of drunken idiots with nothing that appealed to her in the least. Looking back to her initial interest, she smirks a little.

As the bartender slides a mug of frosty beer down to the fancily dressed man, Fran takes the initiative and catches it before him. The man's eyes glare at Fran, obviously not too happy about not receiving his beer. She slowly pulls the rim of mug to her lips and quietly takes a sip of the contents all while giving him a lusty smile.

His glare softens to an intrigued smirk. However, he still pretends to be offended. "So, do you always steal other people's alcohol or do you just do that to the people you like?"

Fran, answers his question by pulling on his collar, bringing his face close to hers and gives his a long, deep and beer filled kiss. The man, surprised, receives the beer and passionate kiss willingly.

When this kiss is broken, he notices some drops of beer on her cleavage as she playfully rolled her eyes and says, "Could you be a dear and get that for me?"

The man smiles like a dope and goes into his pockets for a handkerchief, but Fran grabs him by the wrist and shakes her head. "Some things are better done in private. And besides, I believe an intimate setting is best for a man and a woman to get acquainted with one another. Don't you agree?"

It doesn't take long for the man to lead Fran to an inn. It doesn't surprise her as he struck her as the type who rarely had much time for "playing around".

As expected, it was a satisfying bout. Her partner simulated the passionate love that she longed to be a reality long enough for her mind to be far away from her problems. A couple of orgasms and a little cuddling seemed to be her recipe for temporary fulfillment and peace of mind. Deep down, she knows it's a pathetic way to live, but to her, it's the only way.

The morning comes quickly for Fran. The sun rises over the horizon, shining it's brilliant rays through the window and onto her face. She awakens from a peacefully dreamless sleep. She turns over to find that the man she slept with the night before is still turned over, sound asleep. She smirks, considering another round with him before departing. Playfully poking him, she says, "Hey, handsome. Ready for another session?"

No reply.

Fran rolls her eyes. "You lazy oaf."

She gives him a hard shove, causing him to roll over onto the floor. She sighs, unsympathetic about pushing the poor guy out of bed. "Rise and shine, big boy. We've got unfinished business!"

She then scoots over to his side of the bed and looks at his motionless form. His eyes are wide open, along with his mouth and his neck has a long, deep slash in it from eat to ear. Fran's stomach churns and she instinctively retreats to the bathroom to retch. When she opens the bathroom door, the first thing she sees is the same man whom she burned with her fire spell, relieving himself at the toilet.

Larken turns to her and smirks as he continues to do his 'business'.

"G'mornin' to ya!"

The inn echoes with the sound of Fran's shriek.


End file.
